Tiny Epic Mechs is yet another installment in the long running “Tiny Epic” series by Gamelyn Games. So far we’ve seen Tiny Epic Kingdoms, Galaxies, Defenders, Western, Quest and Zombies. Most of these utilize so-called ITEMeeples, classic board game meeples… with attachable gadgets made from plastic. Games from the series are all made to be easy to learn and fit into small, portable boxes.
Tiny Epic Mechs takes place in the fourth millennium, where people fight for fame and glory in a cult sport TV show called M.E.C.H.S..
Program Your Way to Victory
Tiny Epic Mechs belongs to the arena battle royale genre. Instead of dice or generic cards, players use small squares and program the actions of their walking robots. These may include moving in various directions, picking up crates, deploying turret weapons, and powering up. The terrain available to the players is made of tiles and randomized to a degree.
The entire game of Tiny Epic Mechs consists of 6 rounds. Every even round everyone gets scores based on how many Zones they have under their control. This means either standing on them, or having your own traps and mines located on these tiles. 4 program cards (out of 8) are chosen in secret, and revealed together by every single player. Next, the actions are performed turn by turn, in previously chosen order.
After moving, it’s possible to perform additional actions like collecting resources and buying new weapons.
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Mech Versus Mech
Sooner or later, while walking according to your programmed moves, you’ll meet another player standing on your tile. When dueling, both players fire their weapons, which become exhausted afterwards. Combat phase ends when a player has no weapons to fire or decides to retreat.
Weapons are divided into 3 categories: each strong and weak against one type, similar to paper-rock-scissors. Certain weapons also allow for stronger “power attacks”.
When one of the combatants has his or her HP drop to zero, they lost most of their money, resources, items and come back to life at the nearest Zone.
The Big One
One of the most interesting features of the game is The Mighty Mech. This machine stands in the central area and can be controlled only by one player. The big mech is easily the strongest weapon in the game, but at the same time it can’t be powered up and repaired. Controlling the machine also grants additional points and can often determine the winner.
At the end of round 6 players get scored for the final time. Here you add points for the equipment you bought to the score from controlling Zones on turns 2,4 and 6. The person with the most points wins.
The Campaign
The game seems to be getting lots of positive buzz. Right now, with 11 days left, the creators at Gamelyn Games managed to collect $414,865 in their campaign. The rules seem well thought out and fun, but what most likely draws the backers is the idea of meeples riding giant robots. The previous projects by the team were hilarius already, but this reaches a whole new level of awesomeness.
